


paradigm shift

by orphan_account



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, F/M, i only ever write at 11pm why is that, not really a happy ending but ill be sad slapping on the Angst With A Sad Ending tag, thats. thats better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 23:37:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7778098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a long quest with some dire consequences, Betty was finally able to crack Simon's curse.</p><p>He just wishes he could say the same for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	paradigm shift

**Author's Note:**

> *inhales* BOI

The first thing he registered were the black spots in his vision. That was odd. Usually what would be swarming his sight would be brightly colored amalgamations of things he'd never be able to dream up himself. Right now, everything that clouded his field of vision were hazy splotches that danced around in the corner of his eyes. Great. Something new and unfamiliar. 

He forced himself to sit up, ignoring the sickening feeling it gave his head. Blinking slowly, he began to register the scenario around him. It felt too distant, too unfathomable to ever be real. Had the curse finally been broken? It was hard to say. He never liked getting his hopes up. 1000 years of constant dreaming tended to get demoralizing after the first couple of centuries. The man rubbed at his eyes and groaned. Everything felt stiff and painful, and his head felt like it was stuffed with cottonballs. No, this couldn't be a dream or illusion, either. Nothing could ever be this vivid.

So what was going on, then? His mind felt like molasses, moving too slow to fully process anything. All he could do was rub at his temples and shift on the soft, powdery snow underneath him. It was oddly colder than it should usually feel. Maybe it was a dream?

A loud roar ripped through the air above his head and broke him out of his dazed trance. Everything was blurred without his glasses on, so all he registered was a freaky giant clump of white hair soaring through the sky. He was about to make a guess about what could be going on when he heard frantic footsteps running towards him. He barely had time to turn to see who it was when he was picked up off his feet and carried bridal style across the snow.

"Look out, dude!" the voice cried. "Ice Thing almost snagged you there, Simon."

Simon turned to see who his rescuer was. A boy, no older than 17, flashed a toothy grin at him as he carried them to shelter inside a nearby damp cave.

"Wh-What's..." he began to stammer.

"That was a close one," the boy cut in. "Good thing I got your butt outta there, huh?"

The hero stood up and brushed snow off his shorts. "You just sit tight there, IK, I gotta run back and help out my bro with the whole..." He gestured to the giant monster wreaking havoc outside. "Thing over there."

Simon grunted and tried to sit up. "Finn, wait!" Finn? He blinked. Yes, that was the boy's name. The hero that righted his wrongs more times than Simon could count. Everything was slowly clicking into place. 

So if Finn was here, then it really wasn't a dream.

"Yeah, dude?" Finn said, spinning on his heels. He was impatient to run back outside and join in on the ongoing battle.

"Don't run off without filling me in!" Simon huffed. "I don't know jack!"

Finn raised an eyebrow, opening and closing his mouth as if he couldn't find the right words to say. He was wasting too much time. He quickly glanced over at the battle again to see the Ice Thing throttle Jake and slam him into the ground. There was a floating figure nearby, too, fiddling with something golden in it's hands. His brows furrowed, knowing his brother wouldn't last too long in the battle and knowing the floating entity wouldn't be helping any time soon. Better make this quick.

"Betty did it," he spat out before sprinting back outside.

 _Betty?_ Simon thought. Of course! She'd finally been able to break the curse. The virus- no, AI- she'd left in the crown had mentioned that in the real world, she was close to a breakthrough with several backup plans at her disposal.

Of course, she had also managed to drive herself insane in the process. The realization made Simon's gut sink, and in half a second he found himself sprinting outside as well.

He'd gotten there just in time to see Jake toss Finn upwards and watch his arm shift into a hulking green amalgamation- wait, since when had he been able to do  _that?_ \- and send the Ice Thing flying away in pain. Finn landed back on the snow with a grin, his arm shrinking back to normal size. He shared a high five with his brother, then turned to see that Simon had been watching. Finn's victory pride wore off quick as a worried expression took over his face.

"Finn," Simon pleaded, "Tell me where she is."

Finn's eyes lowered to the ground as he pointed to the figure floating in the sky above them. As Simon squinted, he could just barely make out Betty's form. The startling red hair, the shabby green coat.

The stolen yellow hat.

"Princess!" he cried out. She seemed to take no notice as she continued to fiddle with the crown in her hands. As Simon squinted harder, he could see her prodding away at it with her fingers, rearranging circuitry as small bolts zapped out from her fingertips.

"Yo, he's talkin' to you!" Jake snapped, stretching upwards to meet her eye level. She gave an uninterested grunt in reply, and Jake grabbed the bottom of her coat and dragged her downwards.

"Yo, what gives!?" she said , finally looking up from her work. Finn and Jake both nodded towards Simon with annoyed looks on their faces.

"Oh, you brought some dude over," she muttered, returning to her work. "Great job. Want some gold stars for that or somethin', kids?" As she said that, a dark cloud appeared over Finn's head, raining down small, sharp paper stars that stung his skin. He batted the cloud away in annoyance.

"Betty," Simon said, taking a step closer.

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

Simon pursed his lips. "I..." he started, not knowing what he could possibly say. His mind was cloudy yet trying to process too many things at the same time. In the end, all that he managed to stammer was, "What are you doing?"

She furrowed her brows. "Finishing my work on fixing Simon, duh," she said, bluntly. "Now if you could please leave me to my work..."

"But  _I'm_ Simon." He could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

"Hm?" She looked up from her work again. "You're... What?"

Finn and Jake sensed a bit of a storm coming on between them and slowly backed away to a safe distance where they could intervene if things got messy. Hopefully they wouldn't have to.

"I'm Simon, I'm right h- Oh for Glob's sake, will you please at least look me in the eye?" His voice was shaking as much as his hands were as he cupped her face, turning her towards him. Betty set down the crown for now, deciding that she'd continue to dismantle it later instead, and crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Okay, you've got my attention, now what-"

"T-Tell me how to fix you, too."

"Excuse me?"

Simon couldn't hold back the tears that ran down his face then. "Please," he begged. "It's not worth being back if it means I lost you again."

Betty's face softened a bit at that. Simon remembered that Magic Man- insane as he was- was never known for his empathy, nor his compassion. Betty never bothered to uncross her arms.

"The plan was to get Simon back. I did it, and that's it," she snapped. "I even got to hotwire your curse and move it to a foreign entity completely! Which, mind you, sounds way easier than it actually is."

Simon's expression grew dark. "... It wasn't worth it."

"What!?"

"I-It wasn't worth it!" His shoulders shook as he stepped closer to her. "I w-would rather spend a million years stuck lost in my own mind than to have it happen to someone e-else, especially you!" He balled his fists, his eyes shut tight. He couldn't bear to look at her. It reminded him too much himself back when he was on the border of insanity, knowing that he was gone and there was no going back and nothing to do but await the inevitable. 

"Don't tell me my hard work was all for nothing, man!" She growled. "I did what I knew I should do! Get rid of the curse, that's it!" A small thunderstorm started above, triggered by the rage growing inside her.

"And?"

She cocked her head to the side. "And what?"

"What w-were you planning to do after that?"

Betty pursed her lips. She didn't remember much of her plan after that. What  _was_ she planning to do? Whatever witty comeback she had died on her tongue.

"Please, Bets," he sobbed. He gripped her shoulders. "You know I d-don't want this. Try to remember, please. I'd never want this."

"No, you wanted-"

"I'd rather be cursed for two thousand more years-"

"Don't say that."

"I'd rather be  _dead-"_

"STOP!" She couldn't bear to hear this any longer. "S-Stop, I did what I h-had to! I s-saved Simon.."

"I know," he said, wrapping his arms around her. She didn't push away, her hands limp at her sides as she let Simon hold her closer. "I know, and I can't thank you enough. I love you so, so much. Thats why I can't stand to lose you. Not for me."

Betty said nothing then, trying to sort out the screaming voices in her mind, trying to push past the jumbled mess of MMS and think back to her own mind, who  _she_ was. The thunderstorm above them rumbled loudly.

"Please, love, come back to me. Let me help you."

"...Simon?" she whispered. Simon's tension died down a bit. Her voice was soft now, more like herself.

"Yes, love?"

Betty choked back on her own tears, her fingers curling around Simon's back.

"... Will we ever be okay?"

Simon felt his own heart break at that. Her voice seemed to break as she said it, fear and terror crawling up her throat as Simon's embrace began to slowly jostle her memories.

"I'm sure we will," he whispered back, running his hand through her hair. "We'll be okay, and we'll do it together. Okay?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Finn and Jake stepped towards them after a moment, offering a ride back home and their assistance in sorting things out. Betty clung to Simon like a lifeline, afraid that in any moment she'd lose herself again, lose him again. He held her tight, whispering soothing words in her ear, assuring her that everything would be alright. He'd meant what he said earlier. Both of them have come so far and sacrificed so much, and now he was determined more than ever to get them a happy ending together.

**Author's Note:**

> warmup for gravy falls angst ill write another day bc i rly made this account for simon and betty fluff that ive BARELY MADE ANY OF..
> 
> *snaps fingers* ill singlehandedly fill this site up with em just you wait


End file.
